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Publisher's Summary

A young English woman leaves her ageing parents to visit friends living in the Australian outback, where she quickly falls in love - both with the country and with Carl, a doctor and Czech refugee. Brought together through dramatic encounters and strange twists of fate, their relationship hangs in the balance when Jennifer is called back to England.

What the Critics Say

"Enjoyable story of love blossoming over the scalpels." (Evening Standard)

"A heart-lifting novel by a master-weaver of romance and adventure." (Boston Herald)

"Nevil Shute made me yearn for a faithful, plodding, Shute-type of man. I imagined us trekking across the Australian outback, finding a run-down hamlet, and then transforming it together until death or flood parted us." (Sue Townshed, The Times)

I have to admit that as far as popular fiction goes, I prefer stuff that was written in the middle of the 20th century--like Nevil Shute, Graham Greene, Dick Francis--and so I found this story written by Nevil Shute in the early 1950s about life in Australia and post war England to be a most enjoyable read. The plot is simple and it beats 'historical fiction' because it wasn't trying to recreate anything. If you are looking for an action-packed adventure with lots of dialogue and very little description, you have come to the wrong place.

A really great novel about Britain and Australia after the Second World War. Lots of insight into the economic situations of both countries and the opportunity many Brits saw at the time in Australia. Great characters, very intelligently written and always good natured.

Julie Maisey is an amazing narrator, bringing all the characters, whether English, Australian, or Czech to life vividly. The story is lovely with colorful depictions of post-war Australian lifestyle attempting to adapt to the influx of Europe's displaced persons. Interesting and touching..

Would you consider the audio edition of The Far Country to be better than the print version?

Never read the print version

What did you like best about this story?

All of it. I loved the descriptions of the country, the relationships between the natives and the newbies. My wife and I moved from Boston to a small town in the center of Montana and know exactly how the characters interacted. It was very sweet.

What about Julie Maisey’s performance did you like?

She did a great job with the male voices. She was not in the least bit distracting. Just a great job.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Extreme reaction? Oh, no. It was just a delicious listen and both Sonia and I wished it could have gone on even longer.

Any additional comments?

Can't go wrong with any of Mr. Shute's books or any book narrated by Ms Maisey

After "A Town Like Alice" and "Trustee from the Toolroom", I had great hopes for this book. However they were not realized. The story is thinner, yes, but Shute's gung-ho chauvinism toward Australia truly trips up the story. Surely not *everything* in England is hopeless and *only* Australia offers hope and opportunity? However, that is how this story is written -- and it's not even subtle. He keeps knocking you over the head with it; everything from cars to kitchen appliances is better down under. (And I really like Australia!) If you can get past this element the story is decent, mild and unsurprising, and has at its core two likable characters.

It should be noted that the narrator is much better than one would think from the sample clip. She handles male voices well and does a very good job with the Czech doctor. She actually improved my perception of the story; had I been reading as text it I probably wouldn't have finished it.

I love Nevil Shute and The Far Country is my favorite. This is an excellent audiobook. The reader is fabulous. She is absolutely perfect. Her accents are excellent. I loved listening to this audiobook and highly recommend it.

Nevil Shute is amazing. I love his books and love learning about much of the time period after World War II. This book is, like many of Mr. Shute's work, very character driven. And how all of the plot puzzle pieces fit is incredible. I am slowly working my way through Nevil Shute's books on audible. Every time I finish one I mourn a bit that I will never be able to listen to it for the first time all over again. You won't regret spending a credit on this one.

Shute characters are so real and the story brings post WWII England and Australia alive. I had read and enjoyed this book previously, but hearing it read so well took my enjoyment to a higher level. Recommended for those who like well developed stories and characters in historical settings.

I have now read three of Neville Shute's books as of which have been different. This was a lovely gentle story but with an undercurrent of the horrors of WW2. The narrator was excellent especially with the number of accents she had to go through!

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D. Haywood

UK

6/7/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"excellent story to listen to while walking"

lovely characters I just wanted the story to continue and I like the way the period is portrayed.

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